Not A Snot Nosed Kid
by Bride of Insanity
Summary: Catrina Williams was just a sweet little girl before the dead started eating people. She had a family she loved but then she lost them and was forced to survive on her own. What will happen when she runs into a redneck with a crossbow and a blonde woman out looking for another little girl? More importantly, what will she become while growing up in the apocalypse?
1. Found

Catrina was alone and scared but she didn't let that distract her. She couldn't. When the dead were walking around you didn't focus on fear, you focused on survival. Catrina didn't want to die so she pushed her fear aside and trudged on through the woods. It was night time and the sound of the dead could easily be hidden by all the bug sounds. That's why Catrina hated the night. She always got attacked at night. She didn't know how long she'd been walking but at some point she heard voices. A man's and a woman's. Catrina hadn't seen living people in a long time so she crept toward the voices. She stayed quiet as she peeked out through a couple of bushes, not wanting to get caught. The man was muscular, had dark brown hair, and was carrying the coolest looking crossbow Catrina had ever seen. The woman was smaller than him but looked somewhat strong and had pretty blond hair. They were talking about the blond woman wanting to die while a living dead hung from a tree. She was telling the man she'd give an answer for an arrow. When the man sent an arrow straight into the dead thing's head Catrina gasped loudly. She didn't mean to and she pressed her hands over mouth, worried that they or that a dead person had heard her. She missed what the woman said but she knew it wasn't a good answer. The man said so. Said it was a waste of an arrow. Problem was, he was looking towards Catrina as he spoke.

Catrina knew moving would get her caught so she stayed still. As the man and woman passed her though she started to wonder if being caught wouldn't be so bad. Not all people were bad like some of the ones in her last group...right? Catrina was so caught up in her internal debate that she didn't notice the man and woman sneaking up behind her until the man's hand was clamped down over her mouth and he was hauling her to her feet.

"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down!" Daryl said as the little girl kicked and struggled in his hold. He could understand why she was struggling, he was a big scary guy who had just grabbed her and covered her mouth. He had to do it though; they couldn't have her screaming and attracting Walkers. "I said calm down! Do you want Walkers to find us?!" He whispered to her harshly. That seemed to calm the girl down considerably though she looked confused and was still pulling at his hand. "Listen, we're not going to hurt you. We just wanna talk." The girl looked up at him and for a second all Daryl could think of was Sophia and how she probably felt as scared as this girl looked. He shook off the thoughts though. "Now I'm going to let you go but you're not going to scream and you're not going to run away. Got it?" Daryl told the girl.

The girl nodded and did as she was told when Daryl released her. She looked back at Andrea who Daryl had passed his crossbow to before focusing completely on Daryl. She seemed to see him as the bigger threat. Smart girl. He couldn't help but frown slightly at her. He'd thought she was Sophia until he'd been sneaking up on her. He'd hoped that she was but no. Sophia didn't have long tangled black hair and she didn't have big green eyes either.

"What's your name?" Daryl asked. He was a lot gentler now and it surprised Andrea who was alternating between looking around and looking at Daryl. Who knew the guy could actually seem gentle? Maybe it had to do with the girl looking like a frightened rabbit.

The little girl looked like she wanted to look at the ground but she kept her eyes firmly locked on Daryl like she expected him to try and kill her. Maybe she did expect it. Not all people were nice anymore. "Catrina. With a C." She said quietly, barely loud enough for Andrea to hear.

"Pretty name." Daryl said. Catrina smiled at him which brightened her face considerably. She seemed to realize what she was doing though because she quickly frowned again. "How old are you Cat?" Daryl asked, shortening her name without a thought. He wasn't surprised at how nice he was being to her. He'd always gotten along well enough with kids. The only reason he barely talked to kids anymore was because he didn't want to get attached.

"No one ever called me that." Catrina said, scrunching her nose up childishly. "They called me Trina. I didn't like it." Daryl smirked slightly, thinking it was kind of funny that a kid could still get bothered by a nickname in this world. "I'll be thirteen when it starts getting cold." She told him, seeming to remember that he'd asked her a question.

"Wow. You're almost an adult." Daryl said jokingly, smiling. Catrina smirked but gave the man a slightly annoyed look. She'd heard plenty of adults say that same thing to little kids and she was _not_ a little kid. She had to make the man know that too or else they were going to have some problems. Daryl knew immediately what had annoyed her and he smirked, it was amusing when kids acted grown up. "Do you have a group around here?" Daryl asked, deciding that it was a good time to ask a more important question.

The girl's whole demeanor seemed to change. Suddenly she seemed so much older and so much darker. "No. They're dead." The girl told them, glaring slightly. She sounded closer to sixteen than thirteen then, her whole being changed by what was probably the loss of everyone she cared about.

Daryl glanced back at Andrea, exchanging a look with her. The little girl looked weak and seemed nonthreatening but that was clearly not true by the way she looked now and by what she had said. It didn't matter how long her group had been dead, any little girl that could survive in the woods with Walkers for even a day had to be tough. Daryl hoped Sophia was tough. "Alright, sorry. You seen a girl about your age wandering around out here?" Daryl asked, using a less gentle tone for this girl who clearly wasn't just a scared little kid.

"No." Catrina replied harshly, folding her arms over her chest. Daryl glared down at her but couldn't help but be slightly amused by the attitude. She reminded him a bit of Merle, hot headed and quick to be mean when feeling a bit threatened. "Why? Did you lose someone?" Catrina asked, sounding a bit more concerned.

"A girl named Sophia. She's blond and was carrying a doll. You sure you ain't seen her?" Daryl asked. Catrina shook her head, telling him she hadn't. Daryl let out a huff before turning to Andrea. He took his crossbow from her and slung it over his back before looking back at Catrina. "You coming?" He asked her. The little girl looked shocked and she stared up at him, mouth agape, like he had just said he was a dancing Russian bear. "We've got a group and at least some food. When was the last time you ate? You look like you're nothing but skin and bones." Daryl told the girl.

"Do I have a choice?" Catrina asked. She looked extremely hesitant and almost ready to run.

Daryl shrugged and motioned for Andrea to start walking. "Sure you do. Personally, I don't want a snot nosed little kid following me through the woods but that's not up to me." He said as he followed after Andrea. He walked slowly though, making sure the little girl who was taking tiny steps after them could still see him. "Besides, you look smart. I'm sure you can figure out which option's better." Daryl added, finally looking away from her.

Go with the slightly scary but seemingly trustworthy man and the blond lady or stay and possibly get eaten or starve? Catrina decided to follow the man and the lady. She ran (had to with her little legs) and caught up with them. Without thought, she slipped her hand into the man's. That's what her cousin had always told her to do if she was afraid of getting lost. Just grab the hand of the person you trust and they'll get you somewhere safe. Catrina wasn't sure if she exactly trusted the man (she had a hard time trusting anyone) but she knew he was trustworthy enough for her to follow.

Daryl tensed in alarm when the girl took his hand but didn't force her to let go. When he'd gotten lost in the woods as a kid if some trustworthy person came and offered to take him to safety he would have grabbed their hand too. Daryl looked down at the little girl, taking in how small and light she was. Slow too compared to them. They didn't need to be searching in the dark much longer, there was a strong chance they'd end up dead, so he stopped a moment and lifted her up onto his hip. She made a protesting sound but seemed more surprised than bothered. Daryl had a feeling she'd protest more if she didn't instantly start to fall asleep in his hold. How long had this girl been on her own? Had absolutely no one been watching out for her so she could sleep?

"I'm not a snot nosed little kid." Catrina mumbled sleepily when she remembered the insult.

"Sure you're not." Daryl said, smirking. Catrina hit him very lightly against the back with a half closed fist, too tired to form a verbal reply. Daryl chuckled and repositioned her slightly so he wouldn't drop her. Andrea gave him an odd look a few minutes later and he realized he'd been quietly humming one of Merle's favorite rock songs to put the girl to sleep. "What? I'm putting her to sleep so I don't have to hear her talk." Daryl told the woman. He was lying of course and he was glad the girl wasn't awake to hear him. Easy to destroy self esteem and all that.

Dale was still awake when they showed up and he climbed down from the top of the RV to meet them. "Is that—?" Daryl shook his head, knowing what the man was going to ask. "Well who is she?" Dale asked.

Daryl shrugged nonchalantly. "Some kid we found in the woods. Think she's been on her own for a while." He answered. He looked around for some place to set her down and debated taking her inside the RV. He wasn't sure if that was a good idea though. Carol might think Catrina was Sophia and get her hopes up. There was no other place for him to put her though except in the chair Dale had left abandoned and he didn't think leaving her alone in a chair was a good idea. It was a bit too cold for her to be in nothing but a tee and some jeans while sleeping outside. "Hey Andrea, you got an extra blanket?" Daryl asked, nodding to the girl he was holding so she'd know why he wanted one.

"Why don't you just hold her Dixon?" Andrea questioned as she headed towards the RV. "I mean, you're doing so well with her already that I might even mistake you for a daddy." She teased, shooting him a joking smile.

Daryl scoffed but sat down in the chair, putting his crossbow down beside him and shifting the girl to his lap. He heard Andrea chuckle before heading into the RV. "She's right." Dale, who Daryl hadn't realized was still paying attention, said. "You look like a natural dad." He told the other man. Daryl simply scoffed again.

Andrea came out of the RV a few seconds later with a blanket. She draped it over the little girl and Daryl, smirking the whole time. Daryl ignored her, adjusting the blanket so that it covered the little girl whole and provided him with some warmth as well. She really was much too thin and fragile for her age. He wondered if she would have gotten any sleep tonight if they hadn't found her. "Carol's asleep. Who's going to tell her we found a girl but not Sophia?" Andrea asked, putting her hands on her hips. She looked stressed.

"I'll tell her in the morning." Daryl answered, his eyes focused on the woods in front of him. He glanced down at Catrina who was snuggled against his chest, selfishly stealing body heat from him. She'd probably been alone for a decent amount of time and she'd survived well enough. Couldn't Sophia have done the same thing?


	2. Welcome to the Group

It was weird, waking up and feeling warm. The nights had been progressively getting colder despite the days staying relatively warm and every time she got some sleep, which wasn't often, she woke up feeling cold. Not this time though. Catrina wondered why that was until she remembered what had happened the night before. She'd found people, actual people, and had let them take her to their camp. Or at least that's what she assumed. She'd fallen asleep on crossbow man's shoulder. Remembering that, she jerked up out of sleep and looked around in startled fear. She realized she was up on the highway and her fear grew dramatically. The highway was dangerous! Mama and dad and Cousin Matt had said so! She started to panic.

Daryl had slept for maybe an hour or two before getting up. He'd already done all he could do, told Carol about Catrina and looted the surrounding cars for anything useful, so he decided to check on Catrina. He'd left her under Andrea and Dale's watch when he went to rummage through the cars. He expected them to be able to handle her when she woke up. Apparently he set his expectations a little too high cause when he came back Catrina was slowly backing towards the woods, her eyes filled with terror, with a pocketknife he never noticed she had pointed right at Andrea.

"What's going on?" Daryl asked, confused, as he approached.

"Your girl's gone psycho." Andrea told him, her eyes fixated on the girl.

Catrina didn't exactly know what psycho meant but she knew it wasn't something she wanted to be called. "Have not." She protested, her grip on her knife becoming more angry than desperate. She turned her eyes on Daryl who was looking at her calmly. "The highway isn't safe. Everyone told me so. I can't be on the highway alone." She told him.

Daryl almost smirked. She was smart even if she didn't think things completely through. "Well first of all, you're not on your own." He told her. Catrina glanced at the two other adults, silently agreeing that that was true. "Second, yeah the highway isn't safe but we kept you safe on it for a full night so why would you want to run?" Daryl questioned.

"I came with you cause it was dark and I hadn't slept in days. Now I'm better so I can leave." Catrina said, glaring.

"Go ahead then if you think you can survive on your own." Daryl said, pointing to the woods.

Catrina glared at him. She could survive on her own just not that well. If she really wanted to leave she could and she'd live but barely. Leaving though wouldn't be a good idea. The grownups all looked relatively healthy and they ate more than kids did so that meant they usually had food. Plus they actually had survived a full night on the highway and had even kept her safe while doing it. At least for now, staying would be a good idea. But if any of them became threatening she would stab them. Catrina put her knife back in her pocket. "For the record," she said as she walked back to the chair she'd been in, "I _can _survive on my own." She made a face at the crossbow wielder which he simply grunted at. Despite being the main person whom talked to her, Catrina could tell he wasn't the chatty type.

"You're a brat." Daryl told the girl when she was seated and looking at him. There was no heat behind his words, just amusement. The girl was acting so tough for her age and it made him wonder if he'd been anything like that when he was her age. Probably, Merle had always told him to be tough and he'd acted accordingly.

"Well you're a jerk." Catrina replied immediately. She grinned up at the man, thinking she'd insulted him more than he had her even without saying anything real bad. She knew cuss words and what they meant but she didn't want to call him any of the ones she knew. He was too nice to be called something really truly mean.

"That's not surprising." Dale said as he climbed down off the RV. "Daryl usually is." Catrina shot the crossbow man a smile, glad she knew his name now. She didn't know why that made her feel triumphant but it did. Maybe because he knew her name when she didn't know his. "I'm Dale. Daryl says your name's Catrina." Dale said, smiling at the little girl.

Catrina nodded, her eyes focused on Dale's head. "Your hat is weird. I like it." She told the man.

Dale grinned as Andrea laughed. Daryl smirked as he headed inside the RV to tell Carol the girl was awake. "Yeah? It's a fisherman's hat. I can find you one sometime if you like." He told her. Catrina smiled slightly but didn't reply, her eyes drifting down the road. She glanced the other way then scanned the tree line. She couldn't help it. The highway wasn't safe even if the grownups could protect her on it. There was always a chance they'd mess up and Catrina didn't like the idea of being caught unawares. "You don't have to do that." Dale told her. "Nothing's going to grab you while we're around." He tried to assure her.

"My mama said the same thing." Catrina replied, knowing that would be enough to silence the man. Her mama had said a lot of things and most of what she had said had been the truth but not that. Catrina had gotten grabbed but not by the dead. She'd been lucky not to get hurt…unlike her mama and everyone else.

Catrina's comment did in fact silence Dale. The man was concerned about the girl Daryl had picked up. She was different than Carl and Sophia, a child who had been forced to grow up just a bit too quick but who still wanted to be a kid. Dale wondered what had happened to make her grow up so fast. Surely her parents had protected her, tried to keep her a child in their absolutely destroyed world. Maybe losing her parents had changed her. It certainly would change anybody else.

Daryl came out of the RV a few minutes later, Carol following slowly after him. Catrina almost smiled when she saw Daryl. She liked him the best, he was kind when he first talked to her and didn't treat her like she was a dumb kid. Catrina did smile a little but quickly put on a blank face when she saw a woman with short hair following after him. "Cat, this is Carol. Sophia's mom." Daryl said, gesturing to Carol slightly. Catrina sized up the woman, deciding she wasn't much of a threat. The woman looked sad which Catrina understood why. She wondered if her mama would look like that if she were still alive and looking for Catrina. There was no chance of her mama being alive though. She knew for a fact that she was forever dead. "Didn't anyone teach you manners, girl?" Daryl asked when Catrina didn't say anything.

"Mama did." Catrina answered, snapping out of her thoughts. She looked back at Carol and put on a polite smile. "Nice to meet you ma'am. Sorry, I was thinking." She said as politely as she could. Her mama had always told her she wasn't that great with manners but she had never been too mad about it, not unless Catrina said something she wasn't supposed to at a bad time.

Carol tried to smile sincerely at the girl but didn't quite pull it off. When Daryl had told her he'd found a girl but not her daughter she'd felt angry. Why did this stranger girl get to be saved instead of her daughter? Why did she get to be brought back to them and taken care of while Sophia had to sleep in the woods? Carol felt sickened by the thoughts that she'd had and felt even worse when she saw how small and malnourished the poor girl was. It wasn't the girl's fault she wasn't Sophia. Still, Carol wished she was. "You look hungry." Carol said when she realized she'd let an awkward silence grow. Catrina looked down at her stomach which had been growling for days. She'd been ignoring it pretty well, knowing if she focused on the hunger it would just make everything worse. "We have canned fruit and some jerky. Not the best combination but it'll fill you up some." Carol told the girl.

"I'd like that. Thank you ma'am." Catrina said. Her words sounded rehearsed, insincere, and she silently cussed herself out, thinking that she had to have had sounded rude. Carol gave her a small smile though and headed back into the RV without chastising her. Catrina looked towards Daryl, instinctively trusting him to pass judgment on her manners. Daryl gave her a nod, silently telling her she'd done at least a decent job. Catrina smiled for the briefest of seconds before pulling on a once more blank face.

Carol brought out a fork, the canned fruit, a water bottle, and a small bag of jerky. She handed it all over to Catrina who thanked her with every ounce of sincerity she could muster up. Carol smiled slightly at that and watched the girl open the easy open can of fruit. Worry appeared on her face though when she saw how hungry the girl looked and when the girl started rapidly shoveling the fruit into her mouth she couldn't take it. "Honey, slow down a bit. If you eat too fast you'll get sick." Carol warned the girl.

Catrina swallowed the forkful of fruit she'd just shoveled into her mouth before speaking. "Sorry ma'am." She mumbled apologetically, not meeting the woman's eyes. It wasn't because she was frightened or anything, it was because she didn't want the woman to see the look in her eyes. The look that said she was mentally beating herself up for appearing weak and needy by desperately cramming food into her mouth. Catrina went back to eating without another word, careful to keep her pace normal. She was careful when she ate the jerky and gulped down the water too, not wanting to appear weak again. When she was done she smiled up at Carol and held out the fork. "Thank you again. I feel a lot better." She said as the woman took the fork. It was the truth too. She hadn't even digested the food yet but the feeling of an even somewhat full stomach was like Heaven. She was still smiling when she gently placed the trash on the ground but her smile faded when she looked back up at the four adults who were all staring at her. Once again Catrina looked around for the dead, worried that one would show up when all the adults weren't looking and hurt her. "So what now?" Catrina asked the adults, glancing at them as she eyed the tree line.

"The rest of our group is off on a farm. We're meeting up with them. So get in the RV." Daryl told her before heading off towards his motorcycle.

Catrina turned wide amazed eyes on Dale. "There's more of you? How the hell are you all not dead?" She asked him. Dale looked at her in shock and her brow furrowed in confusion. Then she realized what she'd said and she frowned. "Are you the type of grownups that get onto kids for cussing? Mama wouldn't let me say the real bad ones but the little ones were fine. Dad thought it was funny but Matt didn't like it. Said girls shouldn't say cuss words." She rambled slightly. She usually did when she was complaining.

"Well he wasn't exactly right but you're a child. Children shouldn't talk like that." Dale told her gently. Catrina's eyes narrowed at him. He was the type of grownup that chastised children in a gentle way, the way that made kids feel like they were being unreasonable raging monsters.

"Mama said I could." Catrina insisted, a bit of a temper showing through. She always had had a temper. Cousin Matt had used to call her a little monster when he was referring to how quick she could get angry and how violent she could be once she was angry. "You're not Mama so you don't get a say in what I say." Catrina told the man.

"Hey." Daryl said, pulling Catrina's attention to him. He was giving her a sharp look that made Catrina cringe. Matt had given her that look whenever she was doing something he disapproved of. "You're ours now. We're taking care of you. So you listen to Dale and anyone else when they tell you not to do something. Got that?" Daryl told her. Catrina glowered at him just like she had glowered at Matt whenever he told her off or ordered her to do something. "Catrina." Daryl said forcefully, prompting her to answer.

"Yes _dad_." Catrina said sarcastically. That was always the response she'd give Matt. It never failed to make him mad just like it didn't fail to make Daryl mad.

"Don't go getting an attitude with me, girl." Daryl told her angrily, jabbing a finger at her. Catrina continued to glare at him. Neither one noticed the looks Dale, Andrea, and Carol were exchanging. "I won't be as kind as Dale or Carol when I tell you off." Daryl warned her.

Catrina weighed her options. She could either keep arguing with him and risk invoking the wrath of a man who clearly unsettled the other adults or she could agree and just have to deal with his anger later when she inevitably made him mad again. She chose to deal with it later, hopefully when she had eaten again. "Yes sir." She finally told him though she sounded as grudging as humanly possible. Daryl nodded curtly to her, accepting that that was the best he was going to get from her. Catrina got up from her chair and smoothed the wrinkles that had formed on her pants. She noticed then how dirty her clothes were but she didn't dwell on her appearance. She was twelve and the world was in the toilet, worrying about her appearance was stupid. "Am I coming with you to the farm? Or did you just want to feed me then send me off?" Catrina asked seriously, her eyes boring once more into Daryl.

"You wanna stay here on your own?" Daryl asked her before any of the other adults could say they wouldn't do that to her.

"No." Catrina answered immediately. No she did not. Because of these people she'd actually gotten some sleep and ate real food. Why would she want to leave people who had provided her with so much?

"Then yes we're taking you with us. Now get in the RV, we're going now." Daryl told her. Catrina nodded and immediately climbed up into the RV, leaving the adults outside to pack up whatever they had lying out.

As they packed up, Dale worked it so that he was by Carol but far enough away from Andrea and Daryl so they couldn't eavesdrop. "I'm sorry she wasn't Sophia." Dale apologized to the woman. Carol simply nodded, keeping her expression blank so she wouldn't give away her thoughts. She didn't want him to know how much she had wanted the girl to be Sophia, how much she was still wishing that the girl would disappear and Sophia would be left standing in her place. "We will find her, Carol. If Cat can survive this long on her own Sophia can too." Dale said with conviction.

It didn't take them long to be ready to go. Carol got in the RV with Dale while Andrea got into her car. Daryl was already ready, sitting on his motorcycle waiting for the others to hurry up. Catrina sat at the little table in the RV, staring out the window. She didn't say a word as they started driving and she didn't look at either Dale or Carol as the RV travelled down the road. She'd heard them outside, one of the windows was cracked open, and she was trying to decide what to say. She felt like she ought to apologize though being the wrong person wasn't her fault. She wasn't very good at apologies though, not extended ones. She felt she ought to comfort the woman a little too. That's what her mama would have done if she were here. By the time Catrina actually had a small idea of what she was going to say they were out in the country.

Catrina cleared her throat in that way grownups did to get other people's attention. Dale glanced back at her, unable to take his eyes off the road for too long, but Carol stared right at her. Catrina didn't mind if Dale wasn't paying full attention, he wasn't the one she wanted to talk to anyways. "I'm sorry I'm the wrong girl." She said. Carol's expression instantly became a mix of shock and shame. Catrina wondered if she had said the wrong thing. "You don't have to feel bad about it." She said quickly, trying to fix her mistake. "I understand. I wish I had been Sophia too, that way you'd have your daughter back. But I'm not and I just wanna say I'm sorry and that I hope you find her." Catrina told the woman. Carol didn't reply, just stared at her, which gave Catrina a moment to think over whether to say anything else. "I'll help find her if you want. Girls my age shouldn't be without their mothers for too long." She added hesitatingly.

For a few minutes no one said anything and Catrina started to worry again that she'd said the wrong thing. She was certain she had when she saw the tears in Carol's eyes. Her cheeks heated up with shame and she looked at her hands. She tried to think of a good apology but never figured one out. Carol's hand gently lifting her chin cut off all thought of apology. When Catrina was looking up at her, Carol cupped her face in her hands. "Thank you but you don't need to apologize sweetie. Never apologize for being saved." Carol told her, gently but firmly. Carol pressed a small soft kiss to Catrina's forehead and Catrina's eyes widened. The only person who ever did that was her mama. "Thank you." Carol told her once more before going back and sitting on the other side of the RV.

Catrina stared at Carol the rest of the ride to the farm. The only time she took her eyes off of her was when Dale said she should come out with him. She didn't though. She came out with Carol, cautiously hiding behind her back. She wasn't scared of any of the people there but she knew better than to just trust them right off. She still didn't trust the four people of the group she'd already met. Well…except Daryl. She was pretty sure she trusted him. He seemed predictable enough and he had treated her like she wasn't a little kid, something no one else had done ever. Even after the dead stated coming back. Everyone (well, mostly everyone) treated her like she was defenseless, like she was weak, like she didn't know or understand anything.

The adults were talking about a boy named Carl. Catrina listened in and noted that the bald man's name was Shane. She also noted that not all the people were a part of the highway group. Some were apparently residents of the farm. Catrina was so busy examining the other people that she didn't notice Carol stepping away from her to hug the woman who Catrina figured was Carl's mom. She didn't want to be on her own even surrounded by people so she walked quietly over to Daryl. He glanced down at her but when he saw that she was staring at everyone with a cold calculating look in her eyes he didn't say anything. The girl was distrustful and smart; she was placing herself by someone she at least mildly trusted so she could size up the others. Daryl had to admit it was a good idea, sizing up everyone you met. He'd done it even before the world went to shit and he was doing it again now, sizing up Herschel's people and even Shane who looked off. Really off. And not just because his head was now shaved.

Rick had just finished explaining to Dale what had happened when he spotted the little girl by Daryl. He knew she wasn't Sophia instantly, the differences were too great. She was thinner, shorter, with much darker hair and different colored eyes. The girl barely had any baby fat left on her face and she looked a lot older than she probably was, especially with that look in her eye like she was mentally deciding how hard it would be to take each of them out. "Who's this?" Rick asked, gesturing to the girl.

"Found her in the woods last night. She was spying on me and Andrea." Daryl said though he didn't actually answer the question.

"I wasn't spying." Catrina protested immediately. Daryl gave her a skeptical look that she really wanted to stick her tongue out at him for. It would have appeared very childish though and she didn't want the adults to treat her like a child so she didn't do it. "I wasn't." She insisted. Daryl made a sound that said he definitely didn't believe her. "I heard noises that didn't sound like dead people so I followed them. I haven't seen living people in a while so I thought I'd get my fill." Catrina explained, looking back towards the man who she only knew as the dad of a boy named Carl.

"Her last group, including her family, died. We don't know the details." Dale told Rick in a whisper. Catrina didn't seem to like him whispering though cause she narrowed her eyes at him in distrust. He gave her a reassuring smile and her distrust lessened slightly but not completely.

Rick nodded just slightly and knelt down in front of Catrina. She was giving him a distrusting look and she had taken a barely noticeable step back, cautious of him being so close to her. "My name's Rick and that's my wife Lori. Our son Carl is in the house." Rick said, introducing himself and his family in an attempt to show the girl she could trust them. "What's your name?" He asked gently.

"Catrina Williams. It's spelled with a C, not a K." Catrina told the man. She noted the badge on his shirt and gave him a curious look. "You were a cop?" She asked with interest. Rick nodded and gave her a small smile. Catrina eyed him and smirked slightly. "You're in charge, aren't you? Cops always end up in charge." Rick smiled and nodded again. Catrina eyed him carefully again. "So you're the one who decides whether I stay or not? Not Daryl?" She questioned.

"Didn't I already tell you?" Daryl asked. He sounded harsh and he could tell a few of them didn't appreciate just how harsh he was being. Lori and Andrea for instance. They were glowering at him, probably thinking that Catrina was a little girl and Daryl should be nicer to her. Daryl didn't think so. The girl was a kid but she was a kid in the fucking apocalypse. She needed to be treated a little harsher, more like an adult. Soft people didn't survive in this world and Daryl was going to be damned before he let this girl die. "We're not getting rid of you. Now stop asking." He told the girl.

Catrina looked up at him and he looked down at her, a deadly serious expression on his face. Catrina didn't even look to Rick again, just nodded. Daryl wasn't going to let them kick her out. She was safe for now. She looked back at Rick and he could have sworn he saw smug triumph in her eyes, like she had really expected him to get rid of her and was extremely glad that he no longer had a say in it. Rick decided not to press why she thought they would get rid of her and decided to focus on the fact that the girl looked half dead. "When was the last time you ate?" He asked her.

"Carol gave me food this morning but that was the first time I'd eaten in I think almost a week but I've been drinking water from creeks. And last night was the first bit of sleep I'd gotten in I think two days." Catrina answered immediately. She didn't think she'd appear weak by telling the truth. In fact, she thought that made her seem tough. She'd survived a whole week with barely any sleep, no food, and just a pocketknife in a world full of evil dead things. That made her tough.

Everyone, even the farm people, looked at her in shock. Catrina felt uncomfortable under all of their gazes and rubbed at her half full stomach. The amount of food she needed to eat had gone down since the dead started coming back to life, supplies were limited after all so she only ate a bit at a time, and it had shrunk even more after so many days of going without food. If she got another meal the size of the last one she had then her stomach would probably be full.

"You need to eat. And sleep." Rick told her after a few moments of silence.

Catrina couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. "Really? I never would have thought to do that. I was just going to let myself starve and pass out randomly from lack of sleep." She said as sarcastically as possible. Daryl snorted quietly, only loud enough for Rick and Catrina to hear. A smile appeared on Catrina's face for a second before she suddenly realized what her face was doing. She quickly adopted a much more serious expression and stared Rick in the eye. "I can pull my own weight if I need to. Teach me how and I'll hunt or I can fish if there's a good spot around here, dad taught me how to fish. I'll help with chores and whatever else. I won't be a burden." She told him. She felt like she had to tell him this. Her last group had made everyone work for their food and their keep and she didn't know if this group functioned the same way. If they did though she didn't want to give them a reason to be rid of her.

"You don't have to do that. We don't expect kids to work that much." Rick told her, shocked that she would even suggest working like an adult.

Catrina was surprised. He wasn't serious? She was relieved for a moment before she remembered her older group's leader talking about how if they didn't work they were useless and useless people died in this world. "I want to. I'm not useless and I don't want to be treated like I am." She said firmly, crossing her thin arms over her chest. Despite her size and her obviously poor health she still managed to look older as she said it. Rick stared at her for a few minutes then nodded as he straightened up. Everyone could tell though that he was simply nodding to end the conversation. He was probably never going to let her do as much as she wanted to.

For a long while no one spoke and that bothered Catrina. Silence had always bugged her when there were a bunch of people around. Silence when you were alone was fine but silence in a group of people always meant something bad. She was extremely glad when Herschel spoke up. "We have a funeral to be getting on with. Beth, why don't you take the girl into the house and get her something to eat? Everyone else, we'd appreciate help gathering up the stones." Herschel told everyone. There were nods all around and then a girl with blond hair came over to Catrina.

"Come on, I'll find you something to eat and then maybe you can sleep for a bit." The girl, Beth, told her as she offered her hand.

Catrina looked cautiously at the girl then looked up at Daryl. She didn't think the girl could do any harm to her, Catrina was too fast and too small to be easily caught, but she felt like she had to ask Daryl's permission to go with her. He'd basically saved her life and she'd learned that meant she owed him and that he basically got to run her life. Or at least that's what the old leader of her last group had said. Daryl noticed her looking at him for permission and he gave a small nod, telling her to go on. Catrina immediately grabbed Beth's hand and allowed herself to be taken inside.


	3. Food and Deals

Beth fed her chicken and mashed potatoes and milk. Catrina didn't think she'd ever had a better meal in her whole life. It was actual food! And not just any food but_ farm_ food! The mashed potatoes were homemade, the chicken had been from their chicken coop, and the milk came from one of their cows. It was amazing. Catrina ate slowly, savoring each bite, and was sad when she'd finished everything. Still, her stomach was completely and utterly full. A first in a long time.

Herschel came in a little while later and talked to Beth who was washing up Catrina's plate. When he left she came over to Catrina who was still sitting at the table. "I'm going to go attend the funeral. How about you shower and get some sleep? I can find you some fresh clothes that'll fit too." Beth said, smiling a little the whole time. Catrina nodded and followed her upstairs to a bathroom. Beth left her in there for a few minutes as she retrieved clothes (which she had to go outside for) and a brush. "Don't use too much hot water. When you're done you can sleep in my room if you like or, if you can't get to sleep, you can sit with Carl and watch him. I don't think his parents will mind." Beth told her.

"Thank you." Catrina said sincerely, placing the clothes and the brush on the toilet. Beth smiled at her then started to walk down the hallway. Catrina remembered something and she ran after Beth, catching her before she got to the stairs. "Do you have any female stuff?" She asked more bluntly than she probably should have. Beth looked at her in surprise and Catrina blushed. "Mama called me an early bloomer. It happened just a bit after my last birthday." She said awkwardly, her eyes on the floor now.

"Oh. Well we don't have proper products right now, we have to go into town and get some more soon, but we have emergency rags we use just for that." Beth said as she gently pulled Catrina back to the bathroom. "They're under the sink in a plastic bag, you'll know 'em when you find 'em. I've got to go now." She said, pointing to the sink. She gave the girl one more smile before leaving.

Catrina took her time in the shower but kept the water at lukewarm the whole time. Just the bit of warm water felt amazing though and she smiled as she scrubbed off as much dirt as possible. There was shampoo too and conditioner. Catrina washed her hair meticulously with the products, remembering her mama saying how her hair was so pretty and how Catrina should always take care of it. By the time she stepped out of the shower she felt great. Clean and relaxed. The relaxed part wouldn't last long, the second she stepped out of the bathroom she'd be on alert again, but she was going to enjoy it for as long as possible.

The clothes Beth brought her fit to a degree. The shirt hung off of her but that was mostly due to her being so skinny. The undies and the pants fit her too but the pants were too long. Catrina figured Beth had gotten them from Carol because there was certainly no one living on the farm that wore clothes this small. She made a mental note to thank Carol later and to thank Herschel.

It took a long time to get the tangles out of her hair. It was all so messed up and she ended up ripping out more than she would have liked. Finally though it was hanging against her back, the ends reaching her itty bitty waist. Catrina ran her hands through it a couple of times, marveling at the fact that it was starting to get wavy. She'd never had wavy hair before. Maybe it had something to do with growing. Catrina smiled and opened up the cabinet beneath the sink. After dealing with girl problems, putting her pocketknife inside her new pair of pants, and pulling her shoes and socks back on Catrina finally left the bathroom. She took her old clothes with her, thinking that maybe she could clean them and wear them again eventually. She couldn't exactly go around in pants too long for her forever. Running would be an issue in the long pants, she'd fall flat on her face if she tried.

Catrina wasn't tired, she would be later but not now, so she went to where Beth said Carl was. She cautiously opened the door, peeking in when the door was barely open to see if the boy was awake. He wasn't so she walked in as quietly as she could and shut the door behind her. Once she was sure they were the only people in the room and once she'd placed her clothes down near the door, she walked over to Carl and stared down at him in interest. He was the only other kid she'd seen in a long time. He was cute even though he looked sick, kind of like if he had the flu. Catrina peeked at the bandages wrapped around his torso before walking over to the nearest window and staring out it. She could just barely see the adults far off in a half circle looking at a pile of stones. Catrina frowned. The one funeral she had been to had involved a hole in the ground and people wearing black. Oh well, maybe it was different now that the world was all crappy.

Carl stirred behind her. Catrina spun around in surprise but relaxed when she saw it was just Carl moving about. He seemed to be waking up so she walked over to his bed so he wouldn't wake up and see no one. Slowly his eyes opened and the first thing he saw was Catrina. "You're not Sophia." He said quietly, pausing between each word like it was hard for him to talk. It probably was. Getting shot probably messed you up pretty bad.

"Sorry." Catrina said immediately though she didn't sound very apologetic. Carol had told her to not to apologize for being saved but she was still going to just not very sincerely. "My name's Catrina. They found me in the woods." Catrina told the boy.

Carl weakly placed his hand against his chest then let it fall back down his side. "Carl." He said weakly.

Catrina smiled slightly. "Yeah, I know. I met your dad." She told him. Carl smiled slightly in reply then looked around, probably for his parents. "They're outside holding a funeral for someone. I think it was one of the people who live here cause your group doesn't seem too broken up about it." Carl nodded slightly and at least seemed somewhat grateful for the information. Catrina would be thankful if their situation was reversed. "Your dad seems cool. The badge is badass." Catrina added without much thought.

Carl looked at her in surprise. "You can't cuss." He told her.

"Well the adults aren't around so I figured I can." Catrina said offhandedly, shrugging one shoulder. She really didn't understand why they wouldn't let her say the little cuss words. Hell was a place that you didn't want to go to and ass was just another word for butt so why couldn't she say them? Catrina decided she'd ask Daryl about it later. "You look like shit." She added.

"Shut up. Stop cussing." Carl told her, glaring slightly.

Catrina smiled at him. She'd forgotten how easy boys got angry at girls and it was funny being reminded of it. She could remember a couple of times where she'd been sent to the principal's office for punching a boy for being mean to her. Those had been good days. "You should go back to sleep. Your mom should be back soon and I'm sure she'd love to see you sleeping peacefully." She finally told the boy.

Carl made a sound that made Catrina giggle slightly, it sounded like he didn't want to go back to sleep. He closed his eyes reluctantly after staring at her for a minute and immediately dropped off into dreamland, too weak to stay awake much longer. Catrina smiled at him for a moment then realized she was smiling and stopped. She wasn't supposed to be letting herself get attached to these people and smiling was definitely a sign of getting attached. All her other groups had died and eventually her family had too. If she got attached it would just hurt that much more when they either betrayed her or died.

Lori came up to Carl's room after the funeral. She was very nice to Catrina but Catrina felt uncomfortable around her. She felt like the woman was looking at her like a weak child, not someone who could take care of herself. She quickly told the woman that Carl had woken up for a moment before rushing out of the room and out of the house. She found a vast majority of everyone standing around the hood of a car with a map laid out in front of them. She crept up beside Daryl but didn't say a word, just listened in. She learned that Daryl was going to go searching for Sophia, that there would be gun training, and that Herschel didn't like guns.

"I hate to be the one to ask but somebody's got to." Shane said. Everyone turned their eyes on him. "What happens if we find her and she's bit? I think we should be clear on how we handle that." He told the group.

Catrina instantly felt sick. Shocked and sick. She wanted to punch Shane for even suggesting that Sophia might be dead. Of course she didn't, Shane was much too big for her to punch and she was still too weak. So instead Catrina decided to speak up. "How could you say that?" She asked, her voice filled with shock and anger and disgust. Daryl shushed her but she shook her head. "She's alive." She insisted, staring up at Shane. He was looking down at her with little to no emotion on his face. Catrina thought that maybe he looked annoyed with her but she wasn't sure. "I survived on my own longer than she's been gone and I didn't kill a single dead thing I ran into. I got away from all of them. I lived! How can you suggest that Sophia is dead when you have proof that a girl her age can survive in this world on her own for a few days?" Catrina's voice got stronger and stronger as she spoke, eventually making her sound as angry as any adult could get.

"Catrina, Shane was just speculating. He doesn't actually think we'll find Sophia dead." Rick told her in a calm voice.

"If he didn't believe it he wouldn't have said it." Catrina pointed out, crossing her thin arms over her chest in anger.

"Hey." Daryl snapped slightly. Catrina looked up at him, not glaring in the slightest, and, not for the first time, Daryl wondered why he was the one she had decided to trust. He was harsh and he knew for a fact he was one of the scariest looking fuckers in the whole group. She should have chosen to trust Andrea, a woman who was far nicer than him even if she could be a whiny bitch from time to time. "What did I say about your attitude?" He asked her, glaring slightly down at her.

Catrina didn't answer right away, trying to remember. "You said not to have it with you." She told him, smiling triumphantly when she remembered. She didn't know what her attitude had to do with any of this though and she slowly started to frown. "Why? Did I offend you? I was trying to tell off Shane, not upset you." She said, worry creeping into her voice at the thought of Daryl being mad at her. She didn't want the only person she even remotely trusted in the world to be mad at her.

Daryl shook his head at her. God, kids worried too fucking much. An adult wouldn't have assumed he was angry with them just because he snapped a little. "I'm not mad." He told the girl. Her expression brightened considerably and she almost smiled at him. "Why don't you go bug Dale? Or, if you're so keen on being treated like you're useful, go help set up camp." He told her, gesturing to where Carol and the others were setting up tents.

Catrina frowned up at him, not appreciating being sent away, but decided not to throw a fit. She would never be treated the way she wanted if she whined. "Alright." She told him before taking off towards Carol. She shot Shane a disliking look before turning her full attention on Carol. "Thank you for the clothes." She said immediately. She was instantly reminded of her old clothes and she silently cursed, remembering that she'd left them in Carl's room.

Carol looked up at her and smiled. "You're welcome sweetie. Though it looks like the pants are a little too long. Glenn!" She said. A man Catrina had never seen before wearing a baseball cap came over to them. He smiled at Catrina but didn't say anything as he turned his attention on Carol. "Could you bring me a knife? Cat's pants need cutting." Carol told the man.

"Oh yeah, sure. I think Dale's got one or maybe even a pair of scissors in the RV." Glenn said before hurrying off to the RV. He came a few seconds later, a triumphant look on his face and a pair of scissors in his hand. "Here you go." He said cheerfully, handing the scissors over to Carol.

"Thank you." Carol said politely. Glenn nodded then walked off to continue setting up his own tent. "Now stay very still. I don't want to end up cutting you." Carol said, looking up at Catrina with a very serious expression. Catrina nodded and watched as Carol carefully cut the pants, while they were still on her, until they were short enough for her. "Such a petite little girl. I bet you hit a massive growth spurt." Carol said when she was done, once again smiling up at Catrina. The girl thought her smiles looked sad and hoped it just had to do with Sophia being missing. Having a sad looking smile as your normal smile would be awful.

"Thank you ma'am." Catrina said politely. Carol gave her arm a small pat before going back to setting up her tent, placing the scissors and cut off denim to the side for the time being. "Daryl said I should help set things up. Do you need any help?" Catrina asked hopefully. She wanted to show she could be useful and this was just the way to do it. Besides, she didn't want Daryl to get mad at her for not listening.

"I sure do." Carol told her. Catrina smiled brightly at her but inside she felt like squirming. The woman was using a motherly tone with her and it made her uncomfortable. First off, because her mama had used that same tone. Second, because it made Catrina feel like Carol was temporarily replacing Sophia with her. "Here, I'll teach you how to pitch a tent." Carol told her.

By the time the little meeting around the map was over Carol had successfully taught Catrina how to pitch a tent. The girl was grinning happily at her newfound knowledge and asked Carol if there was anything else she could do. The woman told her that unfortunately no there wasn't. Catrina frowned in disappointment until she saw Daryl walking by. He had given her something to do earlier, maybe he'd have an idea as to what to do now. Or maybe he'd just talk to her. She'd been having conversations with the air since the dead started popping up since no one just _talked_ anymore. It was always orders or questions or scoldings or so awkward it couldn't be considered a proper talk. She missed just talking and yeah Carol had talked to her but she made Catrina a tad uncomfortable. Daryl didn't.

"Carol taught me how to pitch a tent." Catrina said when she was jogging beside Daryl. She had to jog, his longer legs made him so much faster than her. She wished she'd hurry up and grow because being so short was annoying. Daryl made a noise that said he'd heard her but he didn't reply. She frowned in annoyance but decided to keep talking. "So what are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm going to go find Sophia." Daryl told her. He considered for a moment telling her to mind her own business like he would an adult but decided to tell her. She was a kid; he didn't have to push her away so much. Eventually the kid would get bored with him and leave him of her own accord.

"Can I come?" The question made Daryl stop immediately in shock. The girl stopped too and stared up at him, her eyes pleading. "I want to help. I know how it is out there on your own for so long. I don't want someone else going through what I did." Catrina told him. She was being completely and utterly sincere as she spoke. Being lost out there on your own...it was something she would never wish on anyone. She had a weird feeling about all this too. Like she knew finding Sophia would help her somehow.

Daryl managed to shake off his surprise after a moment or two of staring down at the pleading girl. "No." He said firmly before continuing to walk on.

Catrina stared after him in surprise for a moment. How could he say no? Didn't he realize that helping find Sophia was important to her? She ran after Daryl, barely catching up. "Why not?" She asked. She was breathing heavily and she felt weak but there was no way she was going to tell Daryl that. "The more people out looking the more of a chance we'll have of finding her." She pointed out, remembering a TV show she'd once seen that said something like that. "And I'm her size! I can get to the places she could reach but not you!" Those were good reasons to let her come along, right? He had to say yes.

"I said no." Daryl told her, shooting her a stern slightly angry look. The girl opened her mouth to protest and he let out an annoyed noise before stopping in his tracks. The girl skidded to a stop, surprised by the sudden lack of movement. "Alright, that's it." Daryl said, surprising himself by how angry he sounded. Catrina looked at him in surprise, her eyes wide. Her eyes looked big on her thin face; she really needed to eat more. "Are you crazy? I'm serious; did you go insane out there on your own?" He asked her. The girl shook her head quickly, obviously at least as bit frightened. "Then what? Do you just not think things through?" He was shouting slightly. He could feel the group's eyes on him, some glaring and some worried.

Catrina was shaking slightly and tears were welling up in her eyes despite how much she was trying to stay calm and unbothered. But it had been such a long time since she was yelled at and the insults sounded like things Matt would have shouted at her when she annoyed him. Catrina looked at the ground and wiped furiously at her eyes, ashamed for crying. "I just want to help." She said, mentally berating herself when her voice cracked slightly.

Daryl clenched his teeth. Dammit, he hadn't meant to make the girl cry. He'd just gotten super pissed at the idea of taking another little girl out there and losing her too. They weren't going to lose another one and it certainly wasn't going to be his fucking fault if they did. Dammit, dammit, dammit! He had to fix this before one of the others decided to tell him off. Daryl knelt down in front of the girl, placing his crossbow on the ground. "Hey, listen." Daryl said, a lot gentler than before. Catrina looked up at him and damn did those teary eyes make him feel guilty. "I didn't mean to yell, okay? I just don't want to risk losing another kid." He told her, grudgingly admitting his fear cause that was probably the only way she was going to listen to him. Kids didn't respond well to lies.

"But I want to help." Catrina said, her voice a little stronger now that she wasn't crying anymore. She still couldn't believe she'd cried. Matt had always told her she was too strong to cry. Did this mean she was weak now? She didn't want to be weak. You died if you were weak.

Daryl frowned, thinking. Finding Sophia was obviously just as important to the girl as it was to everyone else. He figured she'd eventually try to help, with or without them. It would be better if she went out with someone instead of alone but not right now. "We won't be able to keep you from going out there eventually, will we?" Daryl asked the girl, just to make sure. Catrina gave him a look that confirmed she wouldn't stay on the farm long. Daryl almost laughed; it was the same sort of look he'd given Merle whenever his brother had said something stupid. "Alright then, I'll make you a deal. Eat some more, get some sleep tonight, build up your strength and, if I haven't found Sophia yet, I'll take you out there with me. Alright?" He told her. She wasn't strong enough to go just yet; she still looked like a walking skeleton, so she'd have to wait. She'd also be going _only_ with him. He didn't exactly trust the others to keep that good of an eye on her.

Catrina instantly brightened up. She wanted to go now but if this was the best offer she was going to get then she was going to take it. "Okay." She said, grinning. It wouldn't take much for her to be ready to go out there and she was even going to be going out with Daryl! It was serious business but it also sounded kind of fun. Maybe Daryl would teach her how to use a weapon while they were out there!

Daryl smirked and stood back up. He ruffled the girl's still slightly wet hair and chuckled when she ducked away from him, a look of annoyance on her face. "You should go sleep. Or at least go help Dale and T-Dog. I think they're grabbing water." He told the girl, pointing to where the two men had gone.

Catrina nodded and started to run off but then she stopped. Daryl was about to leave. By himself. He might get hurt or he might not even come back. He was the only person Catrina even remotely trusted, she couldn't just let him leave. A goodbye was out of the question though, her mama had always told her goodbyes were permanent and she didn't want Daryl gone forever. So Catrina turned back to him and pinched his arm softly. "Be careful." She ordered him before running off.

Daryl watched the girl run off, amused and a bit surprised. "Little Daddy Dixon." Andrea said as she walked by, her tone joking. Daryl growled something unintelligible at her before walking off. Andrea's laughter followed him.


	4. The Well Walker

"Dale! Dale!" Catrina shouted as she ran to catch up to the two men. She could hardly breathe, she'd run so far already, but she managed to shout. They stopped when they heard her and she managed to run the rest of the way to them before practically collapsing.

Dale managed to catch the girl before she hit the ground though he was shocked when she fell. "Whoa there! Okay, just take deep breaths sweetie." Dale said as he carefully pulled her up into his arms. He carried her over to the cart T-Dog was pushing and set her down inside. "You okay?" He asked the girl once she'd regained her breath a bit.

Catrina nodded, her hand pressed to her chest because OW. Maybe running so far hadn't been the best idea. She felt dizzy too, definitely not her best idea. "Daryl said I should come help you if I wasn't going to sleep." She told the man between breaths. There was a mantra taking up space in her head that consisted of only one word repeated over and over again. Ow.

"I doubt he meant for you to run the whole way out here though." Dale said. He removed his hat and put it on her head, trying to shield her from the hot sun as much as possible. He figured she needed the shade more than he did.

"Had to catch up." Catrina said, smiling slightly. Dale was letting her wear his weird hat! She adjusted it so that she could see and grinned up at Dale who smiled down at her. "How do I look?" She asked jokingly.

"Fantastic." Dale told her, pulling the hat drown to cover her eyes. He gestured for T-Dog to start pushing the cart again and they started towards the water pump and well again. "Just until you gain your strength back, Cat, I suggest you lay off the running." He told the girl as she readjusted the hat.

Catrina frowned when she realized T-Dog (she was assuming that was who he was since Daryl had said he was with Dale) was pushing her along with the cart. She wasn't so weak she couldn't walk. She tried to get out of the cart but when she caught sight of the stern look on T-Dog's face she stopped. "Yes sir." She grumbled angrily before getting comfortable in the cart.

Something seemed to be eating at T-Dog cause when they reached the water pump he started talking to Dale about not being weak and not meaning something he had said. Catrina didn't really pay attention; she was too interested in everything around her. It had just really hit her that they were on a farm. An actual farm! She'd never been on one before. She knew they had cows and chickens but what about horses? She'd always loved seeing those big creatures on TV and had always wanted one but her parents had said no every time she asked. Maybe Beth would show them to her, if they had any. Catrina didn't come out of her thoughts until she realized Dale and T-Dog were talking about Sophia. She was going to tell them off like she did Shane until she realized they were betting on the girl being found. So it was just Shane then who expected them not to find her or to find her dead. Catrina frowned, hating Shane even more now.

"Everyone pitches in, does their part. Am I right?" T-Dog said, talking about the search for Sophia. Dale started walking over to the well as the other man spoke, something about it drawing his attention.

"I'm doing my part. Daryl says when I'm a bit better he'll let me help look for Sophia with him." Catrina piped in cheerfully. She felt like she ought to brag about it. She had a feeling Daryl didn't take people out with him often which meant, as one of the people he was taking, she was pretty damn lucky.

T-Dog smiled at her but didn't comment. He didn't exactly think the girl should be going out there into the woods but, despite everything, he trusted Daryl. If the man thought it was a good idea then it probably was. "You want a drink?" He asked the girl, holding up a ladle full of water. Catrina eagerly jumped out of the cart and came over. T-Dog held the ladle out to her and she was about to drink from it but suddenly Dale came over and knocked it to the ground. T-Dog and Catrina both stared at him in shock.

"I wouldn't drink that if I were you." Dale told the girl. T-Dog understood immediately but Catrina didn't. She slowly started walking towards the well, wondering what could be the problem."Go get the others. Tell them we've got a problem." Dale instructed the other man who nodded and instantly started back towards camp. Catrina wasn't even to the well yet when Dale realized she'd moved away from them. "Careful. You really don't want to fall in." He told her.

"Why not?" Catrina asked. She already knew falling into a well was a bad thing but why would it be _really_ bad? She got her answer when she reached the well and peered inside. There was a big disgusting Walker inside, clawing at the well's walls and snarling. It looked mutated. "Ew! What happened to it?!" She asked Dale as she continued to stare down at the nasty thing.

"I think the water did that." Dale told her. Catrina made a disgusted face that would have amused Dale if the situation wasn't so serious. "Here, help me remove these boards. Have to get a good look at this thing." He told her. Catrina nodded and started prying up the old boards with her hands. Dale chuckled and grabbed a crowbar from the cart. Catrina took it when he offered it and the job became much easier. She had to admit, being allowed to actually help with something serious was refreshing. She'd done more important work than this in her former group but it still felt good.

They were all done by the time T-Dog came back with the big group. Dale had helped some but not much. Catrina chalked it up to him being old, like her grandpa had been. He was smart though, he'd brought a flashlight along. He said it was a "just in case" decision. Catrina just thought he was smart.

"We got ourselves a swimmer." Dale told the group. Everyone gathered around and peered down at the Walker. It growled at them and clawed at the well's walls.

"How long do you think it's been down there?" Glenn asked. He was keeping a relatively safe distance from the well just like everyone else. No one wanted to fall in with that thing. Catrina tried to get a closer look but Dale pushed her back till she couldn't even see the Walker. She pouted at that and walked over to Andrea who didn't try to stop her from getting a closer look. Dale gave both of them annoyed disapproving looks.

"Long enough to grow gills." Andrea said, sounding at least a tad disgusted.

"It's disgusting." Catrina said, making a face. Gross stuff was actually kind of interesting but not when it was a Walker. "We should get rid of it." She told the adults.

"She's right." Lori said. She looked up from examining the Walker to look at the other adults. Catrina looked at her in surprise; she hadn't expected her of all people to say that. She'd thought the woman wouldn't take any idea of hers seriously. "We can't leave it in there. God knows what it's doing to the water." The woman said.

Shane nodded in agreement. "Got to get it out." He said. Catrina shot him an annoyed look, Lori had just said that. He didn't need to repeat her.

"Easy. Put a bullet in its head." T-Dog said. Catrina had to admit that it was the easiest plan any of them could think of. Her stomach twisted though at the thought of gunshot and not just because the sound would attract more Walkers. "I'll get a rope." He said, taking a step back from the well.

"Whoa! Whoa guys!" Maggie (that was her name right? Beth had mentioned her while Catrina ate) said, looking almost panicked. Everyone looked at her in confusion and she stared back at them, her eyes stern. "No." She told them firmly.

Now everyone was definitely confused. Catrina was kind of relieved though, at least someone else didn't want them to shoot the Walker. She felt the knot in her stomach lessen slightly. "Why not? It's a good plan." Glenn said.

"It's a stupid plan." Andrea told him, sounding a bit angry. Catrina looked at her and scrunched her nose in annoyance, thinking that it was rude of Andrea to call the plan stupid. "If that thing hasn't contaminated the water already blowing its brains out will finish the job." Andrea said.

Catrina looked down into the well and had to admit the woman was right. She wasn't quite sure what contaminated meant but she thought it must have something to do with the Walker making the water nasty. A few of the adults agreed with Andrea. "So it has to come out alive." T-Dog said, staring down at the Walker with distaste.

"So to speak." Shane said. It would have been a decent joke if the situation and his voice hadn't sounded so serious.

"How do we do that?" Glenn questioned the group. Everyone exchanged looks, trying to think of something. "T-Dog mentioned rope. We could try to haul it out of there." Glenn suggested after a moment. Catrina looked at him, thinking that was smart.

"How are we supposed to get the rope around it?" Andrea asked, her eyes going down to the Walker. Catrina frowned a little, wondering why the woman was pointing out problems instead of trying to think of solutions. Her mama had always told her that she should try to think things through herself before asking others to do so. Catrina thought everyone should do that. "It'll be pretty difficult getting a rope around its neck." Andrea pointed out.

"You could trick it." Catrina suggested without thinking. The adults all looked at her and she tried not to squirm under their gaze. "Like, loop the rope and make it walk into the loop. They set traps like that in my old group." She told the adults, feeling a tad awkward. She hoped they knew what the heck she was talking about cause she didn't think she could explain it any better.

"It might work." Glenn told the group. Catrina looked at him and grinned, glad someone approved of her plan. "That thing looks hungry. We could bait it with some meat and get it to walk through the loop." He said. Catrina's grin turned proud as the adults considered her idea and seemed to agree with it.

Dale left for a few minutes and came back with a rope, some strong string that Catrina thought may have been from a fishing rod, and a large piece of ham. Catrina watched as the group set up the ham so that it hung from the fishing rod string until they were done before turning her eyes on the rope Shane had in his hands. Shane saw her eyeing the rope and he motioned her over. Catrina still didn't like him, she _really _didn't like him, but she walked over to him nonetheless. "Hey, you wanna learn how to tie a noose?" Shane asked her, holding the rope up to her so she knew a noose had to do with the rope. He didn't exactly know how much this girl knew about anything.

"Shane I don't think that's appropriate." Dale voiced from his side of the well, looking over with disapproval.

"Why not?" Catrina asked curiously. She knew what a noose was but why shouldn't she learn to tie one? It had to be a useful thing to know if Shane wanted her to learn it, right? What were nooses used for anyway? She couldn't remember. She just remembered Matt getting uncomfortable when she'd asked him and telling her to go play.

Dale looked uncomfortable. Shane looked up at the man, a glare in his eyes but not on his face. "It's just not something a little girl should know." Dale told her; unable to think of a response he was willing to say to the girl. He wanted to say that she shouldn't know cause nooses were meant for suicide and a little girl like her in an apocalyptic world did not need to know how to kill herself.

"She needs to learn things, Dale. She can't rely on luck forever." Shane told the man. He was trying to smooth his relationship with the girl out. Rick had took him aside and said he should lighten up on the girl cause she was just a kid. He wasn't going to listen till he realized getting along with the girl would help his relationship with everyone else. She was improving their opinion of Dixon, something Shane hadn't thought possible, so he figured it would work for him. He turned back to the girl. "It's up to you." He told her.

Catrina pursed her lips in thought. Dale didn't want her to learn how to tie a noose but the way he talked…it made her think he thought she was useless. She trusted him more than Shane but Shane was right, she should learn things. She needed to learn things so that if she ever got lost in the woods again she'd be able to catch her some food or something. She could use a noose to catch food, right? "I want to learn." She said firmly, staring down at the rope in Shane's hands with determination. Dale let out a disappointed sigh but Catrina pretended not to have heard it. She didn't like disappointing people but she wanted to learn how to tie a noose and by God she was going to. Catrina scrunched her nose at her own thoughts. One because they weren't good and two because no one her age ever said "by God."

"Good girl." Shane praised her. Catrina flinched, remembering those same words being spoken to her not long ago by someone much scarier than Shane. She shuddered at the memory and took a step away from Shane. He looked at her in confusion. "You alright there kid?" He asked her. Catrina quickly nodded when she realized what she'd done and stepped back towards Shane. Shane decided not to pester her further about it, not really caring anyway, and placed the rope on the ground. "Alright so first you put the rope down and make it into a C shape." He told her, adjusting the rope so that it looked the way he wanted it to.

Shane managed to teach Catrina how to tie a noose pretty quickly. He was surprised by how quickly she learned, he'd thought she'd be a bit dumb for some reason. He gave her a sideways look as he brought the noose over to the well. "Thanks for teaching me, Shane." She mumbled out before scurrying over to Dale. The older man placed a hand on her thin little shoulder and looked at Shane with obvious disapproval. Shane decided to ignore him though he wondered why the girl suddenly decided to run from him.

Catrina watched hopefully as the adults lowered the meat and the noose down into the well, walking around to T-Dog so she could get a better look. Dale tried to loop the noose around the Walker's neck while Shane tried his hardest to lure the Walker with the ham. Catrina frowned in disappointment when the Walker didn't go for the meat. "He's not going for it." Dale pointed out the obvious.

"I really thought that'd work." Catrina said, frowning in disappointment. She'd wanted to help but she'd failed. Her idea was useless.

T-Dog placed a hand on Catrina's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "It was a good plan." He told her sincerely. Catrina gave him a look that said she didn't believe him. "It was." T-Dog insisted. Catrina tried to smile at him, to at least pretend she believed him, but she didn't manage it. She was too disappointed by how her plan had fell through. "Just didn't work cause canned ham don't kick and scream when you try to eat it. Walkers don't want something that's already dead." T-Dog told her.

"He's right. There's a reason the dead didn't come back and start raiding our cupboards." Lori said, looking up at everybody.

"We need live bait." Andrea said. Her eyes turned on Glenn and everyone else's did too. Glenn looked around at everyone, realizing what they wanted him to do.

Catrina stared at the adults, a feeling of dread in her stomach. They were staring at Glenn and Glenn looked somewhere between angry and scared. That could only mean one thing; they were going to use Glenn as bait. "Are you guys thinking of using Glenn?" She asked the adults, concerned and a tad frightened. Surely they wouldn't. That was sick. Cruel. It wasn't something good people did.

"It's alright, Catrina." Glenn told the girl. He looked down into the well, a bit of fear in his eyes. "The group comes first." He said. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself that. Catrina eyed him doubtfully and he gave her a soft smile. "Really, I'll be fine." He assured the girl. Catrina looked at him doubtfully but nodded.

The whole time the adults were helping Glenn get ready to go in the well, Catrina stood off to the side watching. She didn't understand why they had to use Glenn. They could have just gotten a chicken and hung it down in front of the Walker like they had done with the ham but it didn't seem like any of the adults had thought to do that. She thought of suggesting it but decided against it. If her idea didn't work _again_ they'd probably think she was stupid.

Catrina ran to Maggie's side when they started to lower Glenn down into the well. She was nervous. Glenn seemed pretty nice; she didn't want him to die down in the well all because the adults weren't smart enough to use a chicken. "Doing okay?" Maggie asked, leaning in so she could see Glenn.

"Doing great!" Glenn called back up, smiling. It was a nervous smile though, not believable in the least.

Maggie knelt down beside the well and Catrina stood behind her, peering down as best she could. "Cat, come away from there." Dale told her. Catrina looked nervously down at Glenn before reluctantly walking over to Dale. She walked behind him and stood near him. A few seconds later she found herself clinging to his shirt in fear. She couldn't see Glenn anymore and it made her more nervous. "He'll be okay." Dale assured her, glancing back at her briefly. Catrina nodded but didn't really believe Dale.

A second later, the water pump broke.

Catrina ran to the well as the adults scrambled to keep the pipe from breaking any further. They didn't succeed though and it fell farther. Catrina watched in horror as Glenn dropped down into the Walker's reach. She screamed, shouted for the adults to help him, and shook like crazy. She couldn't rip her eyes off of Glenn as he kicked and screamed at them to save him. If the Walker got him, she didn't want to see him get eaten, but she couldn't look away. That is, till she noticed the rope moving upwards again. She looked over and saw the adults actually succeeding at pulling the pipe and the rope back. She smiled slightly and looked back down at Glenn. "They're pulling you up! Hang on!" Catrina shouted down at the still panicking Glenn. She couldn't blame him for panicking. _Everyone_ was panicking.

The second Glenn was sitting on the edge of the well, on something solid, the adults rushed forward and pulled him out. Everyone asked him if he was okay and eventually he nodded, his eyes on the ground as he tried to calm down. Catrina went over to Maggie and stood beside her. The woman placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring nod before going back to calming herself down. Catrina almost laughed, just as freaked out as Maggie but feeling a lot better now that Glenn was safe. Her heart was hammering against her chest so hard it hurt but she just smiled. Glenn was alive and that was good. No one had died. She didn't have to see another person die.

"Back to the drawing board." Dale said, sounding disappointed.

Glenn looked up at him and grinned. "Says you." He said. He got up, struggling to do so slightly, and handed the rope in his hand to Dale. Dale looked at him in confusion then started pulling the rope. When he realized it wasn't just coming up he walked forward in surprise, pulling the rope as he did. All the adults peered down into the well and Catrina peered in with them. The small smile that had been on her face grew into a large one when she saw the rope secured tightly to the Walker.

"Glenn, you are awesome." Catrina said, looking back at the man. He smiled at her in reply.

The adults soon started pulling the Walker up out of the well with a bit of help from a great big horse. Catrina stood by T-Dog as they did, watching. The Walker snarled as he was lifted up, moving his arms about as he tried to claw at everything. Shane and T-Dog shouted encouragement. Catrina felt like shouting too but she felt like they'd mock her or something. Eventually the Walker was far enough out that T-Dog had to pull Catrina back so she wouldn't be grabbed by the Walker. The adults kept tugging but something was wrong. The Walker wasn't moving. T-Dog shouted that it was stuck and Catrina thought that it had to be stuck on its belt. She stared at it, disgusted and horrified, as it snarled and thrashed around. Even its snarls sounded wet. Its eyes landed on her briefly and she stumbled back, frightened by the great big bulging orbs.

The adults tugged hard. Catrina shouted at them to stop, seeing a split appear in the Walker's stomach. It was too late though. The Walker split in half, its guts spilling out. T-Dog stepped forward like he was going to catch the other half but it fell down into the well. Catrina watched as the blood sprayed out even as it fell and had to turn away before she puked. She waited till she heard the legs hit the water before turning back. The Walker still tried to get at them, even split in half. Catrina saw its spine sticking out and made a sickened face. The adults stared at the half Walker in defeat while T-Dog looked extremely mad. "We should seal off this well." Dale said, staring at the Walker like it was the most disgusting thing he had ever seen.

"Yeah, might be a good idea." Shane said. Catrina almost shot him an angry look, thinking that this was no time for sarcasm.

Andrea started to ask what they should do with the Walker but before she got a chance T-Dog took his pickaxe and smashed it into the Walker's skull. Catrina let out a surprised scream and stumbled back, shaking severely. The adults all stared in horror, all except Maggie who looked away. Catrina wanted to look away too but she couldn't. Her eyes were transfixed on the Walker that T-Dog just kept hitting. She felt sick. She felt horribly sick. Maggie walked away. T-Dog turned to the other adults. "Good thing we didn't do anything stupid like shoot it." He told them. Catrina turned away and threw up on the ground.

"Dammit, T-Dog, look what you did." Andrea said angrily, glaring at the man. She walked over to Catrina and rubbed her back as she continued to vomit up at least half of the meal Beth had fed her. "Let it out, sweetie. Just let it out." Andrea told the girl, feeling bad for the poor thing.

Catrina felt tears sting her eyes, throwing up always hurt her throat. She was shaking, she knew it too, but she couldn't stop. She spat out the horrible taste in her mouth when she was done, coughing a bit too. "Sorry." She said before spitting some more.

"It's okay, sweetie." Dale told her, walking over. Catrina didn't look at him. She could see, if she looked back a little, T-Dog standing awkwardly away from everyone. He was looking in her direction, or at least his feet were, and he kept shifting his weight from foot to foot. She wondered why he hadn't stormed off yet. Usually after doing something that violent and getting told off adults wandered off. Either that or they got in fist fights. Catrina hated it when adults got in fist fights. They were scary. "It's okay." Dale repeated.

"No it's not." Catrina said. She wiped at her mouth then wiped the spit on her pants. She let out a choking sound then straightened up. "I needed to keep that in my stomach. I haven't eaten in days and I just threw up most of what I ate." She said, anger appearing in her voice. She couldn't believe she'd done that. She couldn't believe she'd thrown up. Just cause the last time she'd seen a Walker killed was a week ago when… "I was weak, throwing up like that. I shouldn't have been that weak." She said angrily.

"Catrina—." Dale started.

"No." Catrina said firmly. She looked over at Dale, a slight glare on her face. "I shouldn't have been that weak. If you're weak, you die." She told him. He seemed shocked. All the adults did. She didn't care though and she walked away, feeling their stares on her back.

Dale stared after the girl, in shock. "What type of group was she with before this?" Lori asked the group, seeming to be just as shocked as Dale.

"A smart one." Andrea stated. Everyone looked at her in surprise, everyone except Shane. Shane thought she was right. "If you can't deal with this world, you die. That little girl knows that." Andrea said, pointing in the direction Catrina had gone.

"That little girl shouldn't think that." Lori said, getting angry. Andrea and Lori started to have a glaring competition. "She is a _little girl_." Lori said, emphasizing the words as if she thought Andrea didn't know that fact. Lori thought that the woman had forgotten the meaning to the words. "She shouldn't have to be as strong as an adult. She shouldn't think that she has to be! Whoever told her that had to be awful! Anyone who thinks a _little girl _has to pull her own weight deserved whatever they got." She said firmly.

"Lori." Shane started.

"Don't 'Lori' me." Lori snapped at Shane, glaring at him. He didn't say anything to her which just seemed to spur her on. "What were you thinking? Teaching her how to tie a noose? What, was that your way of telling her to hang herself?" She asked him furiously. Shane licked his bottom lip and looked away, obviously mad but unable to think of anything to say. Lori turned on T-Dog. "And you! What were you thinking bashing a Walker's skull in right in front of her? Did anyone else notice the blood that hit her? I doubt she did but did any of you even care enough to notice?" Lori looked around at the group. A few met her eyes but then looked away. T-Dog looked away. "That girl is Carl's age. That girl is _Sophia's _age. Would any of you be saying that _Sophia _needs to pull her own weight? Would you be saying _Sophia_ needs to toughen up or die? Would you put that much weight on a child's shoulders? Would you just let her think she has to be strong on her own?" Lori questioned all of them. No one was looking at her now, most of them filled with guilt. Lori glared at all of them, seeming surprisingly motherly towards the girl. "Stop acting like she can take care of herself like an adult and start realizing she needs our help." She told them. With that, she stormed away just like Catrina had.


End file.
